Drive technology for recycling machines

2 July 2018

Bonfiglioli offers customer-specific drive solutions for recycling machines.

The world is swimming in waste. There are many reasons. People’s lives have changed. Eating and drinking to go, which is quickly devoured on the way to work or during free time, online purchases made easily using a smartphone, which are delivered in a convenient package and increasingly smaller households, just to name a few factors. It is not only private individuals who are causing growing mountains of waste, also industrial waste of all types is increasing in size. While Germany is a world champion recycler, the problem of the increasing amount of waste must be faced. In addition, there will be a growing requirement for individual recycling machines that properly shred and separate waste. The most important component of shredder machines is therefore the drive.

Recycling Innovation

With more than 30 of years of experience in the market, Arjes GmbH, which is located in the Thuringian town of Leimbach, approx. 50 km west of Gotha, develops and builds individual shredders for the treatment of old wood, green waste, biomass, plastic, paper, domestic and industrial waste, metal waste, old tires and many other types of material. Arjes is able to perfectly adapt shredders to customer requirements, such as throughput, particle size and type of material. The drive technology plays a very important role when customizing shredders.

The best example for this is the two-cylinder shredder VZ 850 DK. The shredder with a diesel engine and crawler track (DK) has dimensions of 8,800 x 2,900 x 3,200 mm (LxWxH) and a weight of 26,000 kg. It is driven by a Volvo Penta 768 HP diesel engine with an up-to-date emissions level EU IV / Tier 4 Final, or it is available alternatively with an electric drive. The machine is also equipped with a crawler track for mobile use, and therefore can be moved autonomously to a new site. This type is also suitable for use on rough terrain. In addition, the chassis can also be equipped with rubber chain shoes to protect the ground. It is controlled via a 21-channel radio remote control. This powerful recycling machine is suitable for almost all types of material.

An essential factor in order to shred materials as required is the selection of the correct shredder cartridges and knives. Arjes has an immense amount of knowledge in this area and is able to understand better than almost anyone else how to perfectly customize the synchronously driven shredder cartridges, so that even the most stubborn substances can be shredded as needed.

Arjes’strong shredders, which operate unattended in an intermittent manner, do not stop for anything, not even massive loads. The throughput rate of the shredder must be guaranteed also for massive loads. Large, stubborn material or non-homogeneous material, such as stones that cannot be separated out, apply pressure on the drive while shredding with violent collisions. If material gets jammed, the cylinders retract due to the automatic reverse function when the system is blocked, and then start back up. Therefore, the drive must be very robust and be able to resist quick changes in speed. The drive of the two-cylinder shredder VZ 850 DK consists of two Bonfiglioli planetary drives, design size 316, that were configured to meet the requirements of the shredding process. Arjes decided for the 316 design size drive, as it fulfilled their requirements for their shredders. They were convinced by the 316 planetary drive due to an extremely favorable torque/design size ratio and the fact that it operates perfectly also at low speeds. The 316 design size with a torque range of up to 140,000 Nm and with up to 150 kW of power offers optimal conditions.

A design that meets requirements

The Bonfiglioli 316 series drive that is built into the shredder is very compact yet extremely efficient and therefore ideal for all high-performance applications where vibrations and impacts are more the rule than the exception, as is the case for shredders. The drive is able to easily take on adverse conditions. Therefore, the drive contributes towards the quiet shredding process.

Thanks to a wide range of modular options regarding assembly, gear design, output shafts and motor interfaces, Bonfiglioli products can be very versatile configured. “This is one of our company’s strengths”, explains Dirk Hoffmann, Sales Manager of the Industrial Solutions Business Unit, Bonfiglioli Deutschland GmbH in Neuss. “We have an extremely wide range of products available that have different technologies and qualities, from which we can freely select the products that are optimal for the application and our customers.”

The planetary drive solution modified in this application based on customer requirements for the VZ 850 DK shredder was developed and optimized based on intensive customer involvement. By providing individual support and with constant dialog, Bonfiglioli is always ready to assist its customers from the planning stages up to development and commissioning. In the case of application engineering, customers benefit from vast experience and deep market penetration.

Ideal for harsh operating conditions

Planetary drives are the ideal choice for harsh operating conditions. This is especially true for applications in which load peaks occur frequently. Planetary drives are able to exploit their fundamental strengths in comparison to other types of drives: Their constructive design ensures load distribution, protects the bearings and extends the service life.

The advantages of planetary drives in comparison to other drives are no secret. The most convincing arguments are their good degree of efficiency, the high-power density, low moment of inertia and nearly ideal behavior in reversing mode. Over many years, they have proven themselves as being very reliable components. Originally used in vehicle drive technology, today they are considered a standard product in many industries especially when low output speeds and high torque are required.

Wide range of offers

With the 300 series, the North Italian manufacturer Bonfiglioli offers a wide-spectrum of practice-oriented planetary drives. The product configuration is very diversified due to the combinable individual components. 18 sizes with a torque range between 1,250 and 1,300,000 Nm and reduction ratios from 1:3,4 up to 5,000 are available. Outputs of up to 450 kW can be safely transmitted. And the clou: The series is much more affordable than would be expected for planetary drives. In comparison to spur gears or parallel shaft gears, their low prices are surprising even in smaller sizes.

Continuous development

The specific requirements for recycling machines such as robustness, flexibility, reliability, durability and speed are successfully implemented with Bonfiglioli’s drive solutions. A multitude of modularly designed system components leads to standard, yet individually tailored processes. Therefore, they can be implemented without difficulty in a target-oriented manner also for individual customer requirements. With their multiple drive solutions for recycling systems, the Bonfiglioli Group is the ideal partner for the development of waste treatment equipment.